When Tom Daley revealed his sexuality in December aged 19, he became a role model. So how difficult is it to come out in 2014 and are attitudes changing? Five young gay people describe the moment they told family and friends

Whenever I wonder why I stayed jammed inside the closet for so long, I
remember the words I used to tell my 19-year-old self: “You can’t say
anything – lesbians aren’t cool. They’re just not. They’re weird and
sexually aggressive and they corner straight people in changing rooms, using
their breasts to recruit them. The only famous ones are all old and wear
ill-fitting suits – except Lindsay Lohan, but she doesn’t count.”

Five years on and surprisingly little has changed. I’m out, which is one
thing, and lesbian couples will soon have the right to marry – yet it was
desperation and